Facial exercise will make you feel and look great. Not only can you tone the worn smile and frown lines around your eyes and mouth, but you can smooth faint creases and wrinkles that are the result of too much sunshine, cigarette smoke, aging or lack of beauty care. Women over 30 begin to pay more attention to their faces before deep wrinkle lines settle in over time, but facial exercise is an activity women of all ages can benefit from.

Facial fitness is just as important as bodily fitness; perhaps even more so. People often see our faces first, and more often during conversations, than they view the rest of our bodies. Because all five sensory perceptions are affiliated with the face - touch, taste, sound, smell and sight – we use our faces frequently to process information in a variety of ways, along with language. These provide even more reasons to keep faces toned and attractive through regular, effective facial exercise.

As we get older, genetics influence the way our bodies hold up to environmental “assaults” from sunlight, toxins, pollen, lack of sleep, smoking and inadequate nutrition. Most people will begin to see facial changes between the ages of 30-35. Some women have exceptional skin tone; they were born with good skin genes and they have taken care of their skin since their early years. Others eventually will appear more time-ravaged, due to weaker genes and lifestyle issues. Fortunately, face exercise can help to return facial skin to a healthier condition.

What type of face exercises can help the most? Below is a basic starting list of five facial exercises that are fairly easy to do. Try them a couple times a day for several weeks and see if you don’t notice an improvement. The key is to be consistent and patient.

It is a good idea to check with your doctor or dermatologist first, especially if you have any underlying skin or health conditions. Always moisturize your face, especially around the delicate eye area, before doing any kind of exercises or massages, as this will protect the skin.

Exercise Your Eyes GentlyThe eye area often is the first to show signs of aging and skin damage. ShapeYourFace.com recommends the following exercise for reducing fine lines below and around the eyes. All you need to do for this one is partially wink one eye at a time. Hold the wink for a second. Then just repeat the movement. Gradually work your way up to 50 repetitions per eye, twice daily. Don’t try to scrunch up the facial skin in the crow’s feet area. Concentrate on the “orbiscularis oculi” muscles around both eyes, along with the “nasalis” muscles that are located on each side of the nose. Isn’t that easy?

Tighten Your Throat and Tone a Double ChinA taut throat helps you look trimmer and allows you to wear revealing necklines that show this area without feeling self-conscious. A double chin can develop as a result of getting older, not exercising, or putting on extra weight. To keep from getting those revealing horizontal bands around the throat area or “turkey neck” with extra skin folds, along with a second (or even third!) chin, try the following simple exercise.

Lift your head slightly. Raise your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Hold for a second or two, and then lower your head slowly, with your tongue still clinging to the roof of your mouth. Release your tongue. Start by doing this two or three times at first and gradually work your way up to 10 repetitions once or twice a day. By carefully pulling the connected muscles taut, you are providing a workout that can ease tension lines and the beginning of wrinkles.

Try This Exercise to Firm Your CheeksFacial cheeks can begin to sag over time. Here is an exercise to do while looking in a mirror, as explained by Ageless.co.za. This exercise can strengthen underlying muscles and help to tone the overlaying skin.

Smile into the mirror as wide as you can, with your lips closed and the corners of your mouth turned up. Try to get your mouth’s corners to touch your ears—you won’t be able to, of course, but that is the motion you are trying to enact. Now, wrinkle your nose. Watch your cheek muscles move upward as these muscles go into action. Hold for the count of five, and then relax your face to its normal expression. Repeat this activity 10 times, and gradually work up to once or twice daily.

Not only will your cheeks appear more firm, but also your overall skin appearance may begin to change from slack to taut, and your color may go from dingy to glowing as improved circulation invigorates the area with regular face exercise.

Don’t Forget to Give Your Lips a WorkoutHere is another facial exercise from Ageless.co.za. This one helps to tone your lips and mouth area. Sit straight up, face forward and keep lips and teeth together. Smile as wide as you can—without opening your lips. Hold for five counts. Then relax briefly. Now pucker your lips in a pointed kiss. Hold for five counts. Repeat both motions 10 times.

Facial exercises like this can make your lips and mouth more mobile and elastic, helping to prevent the appearance of sagging or a permanent droop, which gives the impression of a constant frown. A firm mouth minus the “connecting lines” between nose and mouth, and mouth to chin will take years off your age.

Work the ForeheadThis workout tip for the forehead comes from Fitnesshealthzone.com. Place your index fingers just above your eyes and pull down your eyes, while raising your eyebrows. Repeat this motion 10 times. A smooth forehead that is free of worry lines can help you feel more relaxed and add to your youthful appearance.

Some cosmetics experts don’t believe in the value of face exercises, claiming they will promote the formation of new or larger wrinkles rather than help skin get into shape. Some people who have tried the exercise routine give up when they don’t see immediate results within a few weeks. But advocates of facial exercise claim that it can takes months, if not a year or two, to see overall, lasting improvement.

A few tips to keep in mind while doing face exercises are to make sure your hands are clean when touching your face, and as stated previously, don’t forget to moisturize before doing your facial workout.

Remember to be consistent about doing your facial exercises daily, or at least several times a week. On the other hand, don’t overdo it, or you could get stretch soreness and give up too soon. Never do an exercise that creates sharp pain or doesn’t feel right. Face exercises should be similar to everyday gestures and expressions, not extreme motions that are held for several seconds. Even simple things, like widening your eyes or looking briefly left and right, can loosen tight muscles that need to be worked and help relax surrounding tissues. Start a facial exercise program today so you can hold on to your youth and keep your facial features looking and feeling their best.

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